published: OCT 29, 2020
Fixed-gear bikes don’t usually have hand-operated brakes and rely on the riders pedal resistance to come to a halt. Riders learn the skill of skidding to a stop.
Fixies are what competitors whizzing around velodromes use.
Adapted for the street, they’re fun and challenging to ride, easier to maintain, and look sleek, say fans.
Premium Rush, a movie about courier riders on fixed-gear bikes, depicted hardcore riding back in 2012.
The movie may have influenced inexperienced riders to hop on the trend.
But fixed-gear bikes are not for the very young, the inexperienced, and the unfit, said the founder of a popular cycling group in Singapore.
Singapore’s Active Mobility Advisory Panel is looking into whether brakes should be required for bikes. This follows the death of a teen who fell from height when she crashed into a railing at a multi-storey carpark while riding a fixie. The review is expected to be completed soon.
Fixies are banned or face restricted use in some countries, including Britain, Germany, and Denmark.
So don’t get a fixie just because it looks cool, make sure you know what you’re doing.
PRODUCED BY: DENISE CHONG